Only An Heir
by babybel16
Summary: Bellatrix prided herself on being the Dark Lord's most faithful servant. But when he makes an unexpected request, she fears she won't be able to do as he asks. Can Bellatrix obey her master, or will she fall victim to the pathetic human weakness of love?
1. Chapter One

Bellatrix had been expecting his summons, but that did not make her any less terrified when she entered the parlour. The Dark Lord was staring out of the window and, when she closed the door quietly behind her, he did not turn.

'Sit'.

Had it been anyone else, Bellatrix would have been outraged at being asked to sit down in her own manor, but her Lord was an exception. She sat down at the hand carved table, tracing the pattern of the dark mahogany. Still, he would not look at her.

'I wish to speak to you', he stared out of the rain-washed window, pale hands folded over his wand, 'Regarding the night we spent together'.

Bellatrix did not dare let herself think of what night that might have been, in case she was mistaken. They had spent many nights together, alone and otherwise, and she could not afford to read too much into the ones he'd spent with her and no one else. She decided it was safest to feign ignorance.

'My Lord?'

'You lie to me, Bella'.

He was across the room in an instant, eyes boring into hers. She knew he did not need to touch her, but his fingers skimmed over her temples all the same. Bellatrix suppressed a shiver as red eyes met dark, and she felt him dive into her mind.

She was tossing the mudblood boy high in the air, but the sickening thuds of his landing were not enough. He might as well have been a rag doll, for all the pleasure she felt. She could not sense his pain.

'Crucio!'

The child's eyes snapped open as he screamed, limbs twitching, veins standing out against his pale skin. It was not until he began to scream for his mother that she began to laugh.

'Where is your mother, scum? Is she dead? DID I KILL HER?'

Slowly, his cries became incoherent nonsense. His eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped face first onto the grass, his face drained of colour. Bellatrix forced his chin upwards with the toe of her boot, waiting until he stirred. After only a second, his eyes opened. His mouth formed only one word.

'Please'.

'Avada Kedavra!' she shrieked, and barely noticed the flash of green light. She turned on the house and, with an almost lazy flick of her wand; the place was engulfed in flames...

The scene changed, and she was with Him. The room was lit with one flickering candle, black hangings draping the walls. She could see nothing but his face, so close to her own. He was moving towards her, his lips an inch from hers-

_It meant nothing!_

Bellatrix tried hard to force her mind onto something else, but she couldn't. She knew He could see this as well as she could, and yet he was not punishing her- at least not yet. She held her breath as, with a whirl of colour, she was back in the present.

'My Lord-I have never- My Lord-'

'Quiet, Bella'.

The Dark Lord caressed his wand in his long pale fingers for a moment or so, looking thoughtful, 'I must say I'm disappointed in you'.

'My Lord', she dropped to her knees at his feet, 'Believe me, that night meant as little to me as it did to you'.

'Really?' he sounded almost amused, 'You tell me you are not proud to be chosen for such a purpose?'

'It is an honour, My Lord', Bellatrix did not dare look him in the face, 'To be trusted to carry your heir is the most unimaginable privilege-'

'Silence'.

Bellatrix's babbling ceased, though due to spell or self-control she could no longer tell. She could not lie to Him, He would know.

Lord Voldemort always knows.

She did not have the courage to look into his face, but she felt Nagini brush past her. Knowing his attention would be focused elsewhere, she glanced upwards. The snake was coiled around His arms, hissing as if in conversation. Before she had a chance to look away, the Dark Lord's eyes locked on to hers.

'Leave us, Bellatrix'.

She stumbled into the corridor, keen to put as much distance between herself and her displeased master as possible. She only stopped, panting, when she reached the door to the bedroom she and Rodolphus shared.

_The marital bed_, she thought with disgust. Rodolphus knew what was going on, she could tell by the cold tone he used around her now. How she could have allowed herself to be married to such a man, a man so weak he did nothing with the knowledge that his wife was unfaithful, she would never know.


	2. Chapter Two

_I regret my decision, Bella. Clearly you are unsuitable to carry an heir. _

_Clearly unsuitable..._

_Clearly unsuitable..._

Bellatrix was very quiet at the meeting that night.

The rest of the Death Eaters spoke of Melinda Carver. She was a skilled Auror who, under Lucius' curse, had murdered three of her fellow Ministry workers the previous day. Ordinarily Bellatrix would have joined in, laughing as she pictured the woman's attempts to plead her innocence in Azkaban, but instead she sat alone. She was too preoccupied with the task her master had set her, with what she must do later that evening. When the Dark Lord dismissed them she was, unusually, first to leave.

She Apparated directly into the grounds of Lestrange Manor before recasting the protective spells around the perimeter. Rodolphus would not be home; he had predictably chosen not to spend the remainder of the evening with her. On any other night she would not have cared, but tonight she wished for his presence if only to distract her from what was to come. Bellatrix stepped inside, heels echoing on the marble floor as she shrugged off her cloak. A nameless house elf hurried to take it from her, disappearing to hang it up.

She almost wished the creature had stayed. Ordering it around would have allowed her to waste another hour or so.

Another elf entered the room, placing her usual Firewhisky on the table next to her chair. Bellatrix drew her wand, knowing she could delay it no longer, and pointed it at her stomach. She murmured the incantation, expecting the dull grey smoke she had seen on Narcissa many times before- the smoke that would disappear, and leave everything as it was before.

But, as soon as she uttered the words, a beam of bright white light shot from the end of her wand. It burst into a shower of sparks when it made contact with her stomach, making little popping noises as though the light itself could possibly have gone unnoticed. Bellatrix felt as though her throat had closed; she could not breathe.

How could she be pregnant after a mere night, when Narcissa and Lucius had failed to conceive after years? How could she be carrying a child that the Dark Lord professed he did not want?

Could she perhaps pretend the child belonged to Rodolphus? She would have to convince him, of course, but that would not be so difficult-

Bellatrix heard the door slam and turned to see Rodolphus standing in the doorway, staring at her. She glanced quickly at her wand, hoping he had not seen, but the sparks had only just begun to fade. With a sinking feeling in her heart she looked back at her husband, who had a look of utter shock on his face.

**I know it's short, but the next one will be longer- I promise! Please review and tell me what you think.**


	3. Chapter Three

Since coming home, Rodolphus had not said a word to her. He'd barked at a house elf to bring him a drink and was now staring into it, looking enormously troubled. Bellatrix had decided not to speak for the moment, as anything she came out with would be nothing but a poorly supported excuse.

'Rod-'

'Don't, Bella', he did not look up at her, but his mouth twisted in fury, 'There's nothing you can say.'

Bellatrix had to admit he was right; there was nothing she _could_ say. Before, she'd been on the verge of telling him everything- how she had not simply been unfaithful for her own pleasure, how the Dark Lord had requested her...

But now, he had withdrawn his request. Withdrawn it, and left her in this mess. And, in that moment, something Druella had once told her crept back into her head.

_Never admit you are wrong. As soon as you do so, everyone will take you for a fool._

'You have known', she said clearly, focusing on his face, 'For so long. Did it never occur to you to stop me?'

Rodolphus turned to face her, his face twisted in anger, 'You needed to be told? I assumed you knew that jumping into bed with the Dark Lord was unacceptable- you are _my_ wife, you see-'

'So I cannot make my own decisions?'

'Not if you're stupid enough to decide you're happy being someone's whore!'

They were both on their feet by this time; Bellatrix raising her wand- but Rodolphus made no attempt to draw his. Instead, he sighed at her.

'Lower your wand, Bella', he said wearily, 'You've got nothing to gain by cursing me. Unless, of course, you're truly deluded enough to think that I am the only thing standing in the way of your twisted liaisons with the Dark Lord becoming something more?'

'How dare you-'

'Oh, Bella', he looked her in the eye, smiling slowly, mockingly; 'Do you _love_ him? I sincerely hope not, because I doubt he feels the same way about you!'

'_Shut your mouth!'_

Her shriek rang out through the empty manor, reverberating off the walls. She stood, enraged at his nonchalance, at the way he did not even flinch when a thin jet of flame shot out of her wand. He did not know, he did not understand...

'The Dark Lord values me above all others', she sneered, 'Certainly above _you._'

'Indeed, he values you. But he's _using_ you, Bella, he doesn't _love _you-'

'He may learn to!'

Bellatrix could hear the desperation in her own voice, and it sickened her- even more so than Rodolphus' incessant indifference. She could think of only one thing to do.

'_Crucio-'_

She had barely uttered it when he turned on his heel and vanished, leaving her spell to carve a crater into the wall behind him. Chest heaving with pent up rage, Bellatrix careened towards the staircase, blasting a mirror apart on the landing. It did not enter her mind that Rodolphus had left the manor; she felt sure that this destruction of their belongings could somehow hurt him-

Over the sound of wood and glass showering the floor, she heard a small popping sound in the hall. Surely Rodolphus would not be so foolish as to return so soon?

'Bella?'

The voice was soft, concerned- and, most notably, female. Narcissa took an uncertain step forwards and then stared, appalled, at the wreckage.

'Oh, Merlin!' she caught sight of Bellatrix, halfway up the stairs, 'Bella, what happened? Are you all right?'

Perhaps because she had not been expecting it, the sight of her little sister took all the fire out of Bellatrix. She found herself slumping onto the glass-strewn floor- evidently, it had been the only thing keeping her on her feet.

'Bella'.

Narcissa sounded extremely far away; she only realised how close her sister was when she felt an arm around her waist. Bellatrix barely registered the world falling away around them, took no notice of the horrible squeezing sensation, until she felt the cold air of an entirely different garden on her face.

Had she possessed the strength; she would have Disapparated.

As it was, Bellatrix allowed Narcissa to lead her up the stone steps- hissing once at an albino peacock who dared cross their path- and into Malfoy Manor.

**I'm extremely down in the dumps right now, and reviews would make me happy! Come on, you know you wanna...or even if you don't wanna...please review! I'd love to know that readers exist :)**


	4. Chapter Four

'We have quite enough to deal with, Narcissa, without adopting your demented sister-'

'She's upset, Lucius!'

'So you say! Has she ever once _told_ you what happened?'

They spoke in lowered voices outside the door of one of the spare bedrooms, behind which Bellatrix supposedly slept. Narcissa had chosen to wake him after she'd seen her sister to bed; the last thing she needed was for them to start duelling right there on the stairs.

'Well...no', she admitted, dropping her voice even further as they heard the bed creak, 'But you didn't see her, Lucius, she was _distraught-'_

'She isn't your responsibility, Narcissa!' Lucius caught hold of her and, for a moment, Narcissa feared he would hurt her- but he only drew her close, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, 'Darling, I thought we were going to try again, to conceive? With her lurking around-'

'There are more important things, Lucius', she pulled away from him, trying to ignore the fact that her heart had plummeted the moment he'd mentioned it, 'Anyway...it's not as if we've had much luck so far, is it?'

'Narcissa-'

'Mother has invited us to lunch in a fortnight. She'll pull herself together for that, if nothing else, and then she'll go on as normal. Can you really imagine Bellatrix being dependent on me?'

Yet, as the weeks passed arrived, Narcissa feared she was wrong.

'Bella? We're going to be late!'

Bellatrix did not answer her, but she could hear a steady stream of banging and cursing on the other side of the door. Deciding to risk her sister's wrath, She unlocked it with a wave of her wand and walked in to see her sister struggling with the buttons on her dress. Narcissa walked over to her, 'Bella let me help-'

'No!' Bellatrix snarled, with such venom that Narcissa took a step away from her. She snatched her wand from the dresser and, sucking in her stomach, pointed it at the offending fastenings. They slotted together effortlessly, and Bellatrix let out her breath. The dress' seams promptly split.

'Bella, an Engorgement Charm would do it', Narcissa attempted to advise her over her shrieks of rage, 'Look, Engor-'

'No, Cissy!' Bellatrix seemed to be over her tantrum slightly, but her eyes were bright with angry tears. She clutched the fraying sides of the dress together, 'I don't want you to fix it'.

'All right', Narcissa said gently, wondering what might be wrong with her this time, 'Well, why don't we find you something else?'

She gestured towards the trunk they'd since brought with them, but Bellatrix sank down onto the bed. Without even glancing in that direction, she dismissed every item of clothing she possessed, 'They won't fit'.

Narcissa conjured a measuring tape from nowhere, making it hover in the air between them. Bellatrix eyed it warily, 'What exactly do you plan to do with that, Cissy?'

'We have-' she glanced at the clock on the wall, '- little over an hour. I have every confidence that I could sew you a dress in that time, and one Mother would approve of- which is more than can be said for the one you're wearing'.

Bellatrix did not relinquish her hold on her gown's torn seams, but she did not protest as the tape zoomed towards her and began measuring her height. She did, however, bat it out of the air when it attempted to measure the width of her waist. It flew towards her again, and she flicked her wand and set it alight.

'Bella, be reasonable!' Narcissa sighed as the tape curled into flames and disappeared, 'We have to leave soon. Now take that dress off and let me measure you, please!'

Bellatrix reluctantly let the dress fall to the floor and pool around her feet, and Narcissa gasped. Her sister's stomach was unmistakeably rounded, in the beginnings of a bump.

'Bella, why didn't you say?' Narcissa tried her best to smile, but a lump had risen in her throat. She reached for Bellatrix's hand, 'Congra-'

'Don't!' Bellatrix snatched her hand away, seizing the torn dress from the floor and wrapping it around herself, 'This is not a happy occasion, Cissy!'

'Why not?' Narcissa was surprised at herself for daring to ask, but Bella turned away from her. She laid a hand on Bella's shoulder, 'Is it Rod, Bella? Doesn't he want the baby?'

'It's not his'.

'What?' Narcissa was momentarily stunned into silence. Who would be so worthy that Bellatrix would be unfaithful to her perfect pureblood husband?

'Mistress?'

Dobby stood in the doorway with a letter clutched in his hands, 'Madam Druella has sent word, Mistress. She wishes to meet later than arranged.'

'Did she say why?' Narcissa asked gently, hating the fear in the elf's eyes. She had never once mistreated him. It was always Lucius who made him iron his hands at the slightest misdeed.

Dobby shook his head, 'She sends her apologies, and hopes Miss Cissy and Miss Bella will join her for tea'.

'Tell her we would be delighted-'

'Fetch me a drink, elf', Bellatrix interrupted. Dobby immediately bowed to her, leaning forwards so quickly he almost fell headlong.

'A drink for Miss Bella, what would Miss Bella like?'

'Firewhis-'

'Dobby, if you bring her Firewhisky, I will order you to...' Narcissa could not think of a punishment, at least not one Dobby hadn't endured before, 'To-'

'To switch on the oven and climb in!' Bellatrix cackled delightedly, 'Or, better yet, feed Venomous Tentacula juice to my wretched husband!'

She pointed her wand at Dobby, causing a small ball of fire to chase him out of the room and down the corridor. Narcissa looked at her despairingly as she cackled at the elf's shrieks of pain. How could this woman ever be a mother?

**I know Bellatrix wouldn't necessarily look pregnant yet, but I needed Narcissa to find out and I couldn't picture them having a heart to heart, somehow. Reviews cheer me up, come on :)**


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